School cancels Darwin play after Christian parents complain

The play, a musical called Darwin Rocks looks at the scientist’s life and his theory of evolution.

A group of Christian parents said they would not allow their children to see the play as they felt one of the scenes mocked the views of the clergyman Samuel Wilberforce, a bishop who argued against
Darwin and his theory of evolution.

The play is aimed at 7- to 11-year-olds.

Hartford Manor Primary School, a non-religious community school in a village in Cheshire, decided to cancel the musical and replace it with a less divisive show following the objections.

That decision has provoked anger among another group of parents who argue that it is “unacceptable” that their children have been denied a valuable learning opportunity.

Alan McDonald, a parent at the school who wants the production to be brought back, told the Independant: “It really does feel like a huge step backwards.

“It doesn’t seem even-handed or in any way right.”

Other parents argued that there was a conflict of interest as the chair of governors at the non-faith community school is a local vicar.

Simon Kidwell, headteacher of Hartford Manor Primary School, said: “We thought it would be a problem to rewrite it. So we decided to change it.

“However, in hindsight I think that was a hasty decision. We could have put more effort into looking at whether we could have adapted it to make sure it was inclusive of…